An Unexpected Tumble
by mariajonsson
Summary: Ned is on his way home after being away for too long, but when his horse is spooked Ned breaks his arm when he falls into a small creek. Thankfully this does not deter him and his wife to continue exploring their newfound intimacy.


**An Unfortunate Tumble**

A/N: Just a fun little one shot based on a prompt from the asoiaf kink meme found here.

Disclaimer: I own nothing all characters belong to George R. R. Martin. This is just for fun or is should be.

Warning: Be aware that the following content does include some foul language as well as sexual references. Proceed at your own risk.

It had been humiliating. It was one thing to be wounded in battle or injured doing hard work, but to fall off your horse and into a creek was not the kind of thing the Lord of Winterfell was supposed to do.

Thankfully the Umbers had not been around to see it or Ned might have spent the rest of his life living it down. No, to his luck only Jory and few members of his guard had seen Lord Stark lose control of his horse and fall into the small river, landing hard on his left arm, causing it to break.

One of the guards had managed to bind his arm tightly enough so he could ride his horse again, not that he had wanted to get back on it after a small fox had spooked it so easily. But they were only a few hours away from Winterfell and after two moons away Ned was desperate to get home.

His children were still so young that a day away meant he would miss something, a first smile, first step, a discovery that changed them, but Ned knew his duty, and so he relied on his wife and children to tell him of all the things he had missed while away.

Thoughts of his wife brought back the memory of his fall and he thanked the Gods she had not been with them, it had been embarrassing enough with his men present without adding his lovely wife – after all they were just starting to become more than just the Lord and Lady of Winterfell. But with Sansa still so young, Catelyn had asked him if she might stay in Winterfell, and there was not much in this world he would not give her if she asked. _Except what she desires most, that you will not give her._

Ned had missed her a great deal, it had been the first long trip since Sansa's birth four moons previously and he had been loathe to leave, having already missed so many of Robb's first moments. But being Warden of the North meant travel and missed moments – no matter how much it pained him.

When they finally rode through the gate it was still early morn so only a handful of people were around. Jory sent for Maester Luwin after making Ned promise to go to his chambers to wait for the Maester. Ned had wanted to argue, wanted to see the children and Catelyn. But relented since he knew Catelyn would send for the man straight away and then scold him for not doing so himself.

The Maester put his arm in a cast, and told him he needed to rest for, at least, the rest of the day. He would be back tomorrow to see how he fared, but Ned was not to exert himself in the meantime.

Ned's door swung open as the Maester finished and two small boys ran towards the bed, one red haired and one black, both screaming for their father.

"Father! You're home!" Robb shouted, his little arms extending out to be helped onto the tall bed. "What happened, Father? Did you fall?" he asked when he saw the strap around Ned's arm.

"Nothing, just a little accident. I'll be back to normal in no time," Ned tried to reassure them.

Jon said nothing, only stared at the cast, never uttering a word, but a deep frown formed on his face.

"What have you boys been up to? Been behaving?" Ned asked. Both boys nodded enthusiastically at that, but Ned saw a look on Luwin's face that suggested they might have been up to some trouble.

"Perhaps you boys should go find Old Nan. Lord Stark needs to rest," Luwin suggested. The boys protested, nevertheless they eventually left after being promised that they could visit before bed.

Ned slept for an hour at least, his bed seeming more lonely than before, most likely stemming from him not having slept in it since the night after Catelyn went to the birthing bed with Sansa, and before that he had only slept a couple of nights here in the last year.

As if knowing he was thinking about her, his door creaked open and his wife sneaked inside. She wore her hair in a braid and had on a simple Northern dress, but she had rarely looked more beautiful.

When Catelyn saw that he was awake, she rushed over, but suddenly stopped on the right side of his bed before slowly sitting down next to him, curiously eyeing his injury.

"My lord, I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner, but your daughter wanted to be fed before I left her," Catelyn said, linking her fingers with his.

"Don't apologize, my lady. I should be the one to apologize for coming home in such a state and not sending someone to warn you," Ned said, unlinking their hands so he could run his uninjured hand over her hair.

"Are you in pain?" Catelyn asked, her eyes watching his face for any hint of discomfort.

"None, my lady, now that you are here," Ned said without thinking. Enjoying the blush that appeared in her cheeks.

"What happened? Were you attacked?" Catelyn asked, running one hand gently over the cast that his arm was in.

Now it was Ned's time to blush. His cheeks were no warmer than usual, but he felt warmth on the tips of his ears.

"I fell," he whispered, refusing to meet her gaze.

"I sorry," Catelyn asked.

"I fell," he whispered again, this time only a little louder.

"You what?" she repeated, letting her hand find his chin, moving his head so he was forced to look at her.

"I fell, my lady," Ned said, not able to maintain the eye contact.

Instead of the laughter he had been expecting, her arms came around his neck and she pressed herself lightly to him. He took the opportunity to bury his face in her hair, inhaling the scent of her – a reminder of home.

Catelyn was careful of his arm, but much to quickly she pulled away, briefly brushing her lips against his.

He reached out, pulling her closer again, desperate for her touch after being apart for so long. He lightly pressed his lips against hers, waiting for her permission, when she sighed against him, he deepened the kiss. His hand started pulling at the band holding her braid in place, but she swatted his hand away, sitting properly up again.

"Ned! We can't," she said in a serious tone.

"Why not?" Ned said, stroking a hand down her side, letting his thumb brush against the underside of her breast.

"You're injured and the Maester said that you should rest, and what you have in mind is not rest," Catelyn stated, pushing against his uninjured shoulder until he was lying back against the pillows.

"I'll be good and let you do all the work," Ned said grinning. He allowed his hand to fall down to her knee, pulling lightly on her skirts.

"How are you gonna…?" Catelyn started asking, a faint blush spreading over her face, "I mean with your hand like that?"

"The Maester gave me something for it, so some movements won't hurt it," Ned answered, hoping the medicine wouldn't affect his… nope, apparently not a problem, seeing as he was already half hard, and she wasn't even naked.

"That is not what I meant. I mean how are you going to hold yourself up?" Catelyn asked pointing towards his arm and Ned understood what she meant.

"I'm not, you are," Ned said, pulling her in for another kiss, taking advantage of her shock to deepen the kiss.

When she pulled back, her breath was shallow and teeth were biting her lower lip while she thought about something. He put his hand on her hip, giving it light squeeze. A look of doubt crossed her face and Ned saw the hesitation in her river blue eyes.

"We don't have to," Ned said sincerely.

"I'm your wife, it is your right," Catelyn said, no doubt quoting her Septa.

Ned moved so quickly it caused pain to rush through him, groaning loudly as he cursed his arm. Catelyn's eyes went wide and she pushed a hand on his chest, pushing him back onto his bed.

"I would never want you in my bed against your will," Ned said, "and if I have done something to make you think that, I am truly sorry, my love." He said the endearment without thinking, the words so often in his mind, but never before had they crossed his lips.

Catelyn looked away, her face turning crimson. "I know," she whispered. "I missed you."

The last words were spoken so softly he barely heard them, but they linger between them.

"I missed you as well," Ned answered, louder than she had. "So much." He pulled again at the band at the end of her braid, this time he managed to pull it away, dragging his fingers through the tangles, so the braid came loose and the auburn locks flowed freely over her shoulder.

"You'll have to tell me what to do," Catelyn said, after a moment of silence, her hand closing over the hand in her hair, pulling it into her lap.

"You sure?" Ned asked, not wanting to pressure her.

Catelyn nodded, a look of mischief in her eyes that made Ned eternally grateful that Maester Luwin was always to shy around his lady wife to suggest to her point blank that her husband was not in the best of health, as he had done with Ned after Sansa was born. Lightly suggesting that Ned should not exercise his rights as Catelyn's lord husband.

"But you can't mess my hair to much or take off my dress, it has laces in the back and you won't be able to help me put it back on with only one hand," Catelyn stated in such a matter-of-fact tone, Ned couldn't help the puff of laughter he let out.

"I mean it Ned, I can't leave here with dishevelled hair and an unlaced dress," Catelyn warned him and Ned just nodded, pulling at the skirts of her dress and shift.

"Alright," he growled, pushing her skirts into her lap.

Catelyn giggled at him, and stood up, holding her skirts in her lap.

"Where are you going?" Ned asked in distress, thinking that she had changed her mind.

"I can't take off my dress, but I…" she stopped speaking and reached underneath her dress and Ned saw her smallclothes fall onto the floor and he felt a great stirring in his belly.

"Right. Come here," he said, reaching a hand out to her, helping her onto the bed and to sit astride him.

He moaned as she sat down on him, his hand gripping a little harder around her thigh, than usual, leaving a red mark on her creamy skin.

"Sorry," he whispered against her mouth as she leaned over, ever careful of his left side, kissing his lips and neck, her movements mirroring his own on the nights when he visits her.

He stroked a hand over her thigh, soothing the skin he had just marked, allowing her to take more of a lead than usually. After a few moments of just soothingly stroking over her soft skin, he moved his finger towards her sex, pushing her dress further into her lap.

When Ned first touched her, she let out a soft moan, letting go of the skin she had been marking. She was as wet as he had ever felt and he couldn't help the surprised look that must have passed over his face, for hers turned beet red and she couldn't meet his eyes.

"It has been to long," Catelyn finally said, pushing her hips against his probing fingers.

It truly had, specially when he thought of the moons before Sansa's birth, when they had bedded each other so often that he had started contemplating hiding from his lady wife when he was sure neither his cock nor his heart could take any more. Not after moons of having to satisfy his wife's ever growing need for physical intimacy. The only reason he had not hidden was that it drove him to madness thinking about someone else seeing to her pleasure, even Catelyn herself. After all he had gotten her into this condition so he should lend her a helping hand.

It had taken him longer, than he would like to admit, to return to her bed in truth. The thought of causing her harm left him unable to think of anything other than the blood on the sheets the maids carried away as his wife laboured to bring forth their second child.

"Ned," Catelyn asked, her sweet voice drawing him back to the present. "Is everything alright?"

"Aye. Couldn't be better," Ned said smiling up at her. Enjoying the look on her face as he pressed against her sex more firmly.

"I want you," Catelyn moaned, pushing her hips against his.

"Yes," Ned moaned in return, just as she slid back down his thighs to unbind his breaches, letting her long cold finger wrap around his cock. "Gods woman, how can your hands be this cold," Ned all but shouted, making Catelyn laugh and blush.

"Sorry, my love," she said with a grin, clearly not remorseful at all.

"Come here," he said, moving his hand back to her hips as she moved above him.

"What now?" she said, wiggling about, his cock sliding against her wet flesh.

Ned closed his eyes and for a moment forgot about the cast and tried to move both of his hands towards her hips.

"Seven hells," he cursed as pain cursed trough him.

"NED! This maybe wasn't such a good idea," Catelyn panicked and tried to move away, only stopping when his right hand grabbed her waist.

"No, don't leave. I'm sorry. I got caught up in the moment," Ned said, pulling her down for a soft kiss.

After a bit of stumbling, he finally pushed inside her. Her head was thrown back and all Ned could think of was getting his lips on her breasts.

He grasped over her bodice, but couldn't get a handle on anything.

"Why aren't you wearing a front laced dress?" he growled. "How do you feed Sansa?"

Catelyn stopped moving and leaned forward, brushing her clothed front against his exposed chest.

"Feeling jealous, my love," Catelyn whispered in his ear.

"Yes," Ned growled, and Catelyn laughed, pushing back up.

The rhythm she found seemed to be more for her pleasure than his, but he enjoyed watching her, watching her find what she liked and moving her hips in a mesmerizing fashion. Before he knew it she was throwing her head back, his name on her lips.

She fell forward onto his chest, her breathing laboured, but quickly she moved up again, moving in a quick rhythm that lead to his undoing and he grabbed her hip in his uninjured hand to keep her moving as he spilled inside her.

Catelyn moved off him, falling to the side, leaning softly onto him, giggling like a blushing maiden.

"It does a man's self-worth no favours to hear his wife laughing afterwards," he groaned, letting his hand travel softly through her hair, reminding himself of her words.

"I'm sorry, my love. But you only call me Cat when you… you know," Catelyn said, running her soft long fingers over his chest.

"What?" Ned said, turning his head towards her.

"My name. You only call me Cat, when you reach your finish," Catelyn repeated.

"Oh, I'm sorry my lady," Ned stuttered.

"I like it," Catelyn said, as she cuddled closer to him.

Ned said nothing, just pressed a kiss to her hair and allowed silence to reign in the room.

"Why is your bed so much smaller than mine?" Catelyn asked, piercing the silence.

"There is no need for more space, my lady." Ned said, never having thought of getting a new bed after marrying since they spent all their nights in Catelyn's over heated chambers. "And I've always had it and I guess it just reminds me of home."

"You mean this is the same bed you slept on as a child?" Catelyn said sitting up.

"Yes. I mean I didn't use it much while I was living in the Vale, but yeah, it is the same one."

Catelyn laughed, but instead of lying back down she pecked his cheek and stood up, fixing her dress and pulling her small clothes back on.

"Where are you going?" Ned asked disappointed.

"I have to go check on Sansa. She isn't as ravenous as her brother was, but she doesn't like being kept waiting," Catelyn said, sitting down beside him again.

Ned let his eyes wander down to her chest, the simple bodice staring back at him.

"All my front laced dresses are dirty and there was an accident in the washrooms and so nobody could wash any of them. So I have to make do with this one," Catelyn explained.

"You could have them make another one. You do not have that many and the lady of Winterfell should not have to go to such trouble." Ned said, remembering all the fine gowns Catelyn had worn when he came to Riverrun.

"I dealt with the problem and I'll have my dresses back in no time," Catelyn said. "I'm mostly worried that Robb will have gone through all of his clothing. He and the boy have been up to some mischief while you were gone."

Ned saw the way she tensed up while mentioning Jon, but her shoulders eased up as a frown formed on her face.

"So I gathered from the Maester. What did they do? Does it have anything to do with your missing gowns?" Ned asked, curious as to what a pair of three, almost four, year olds could get up to.

"They thought it would be great fun to let loose a couple of dozen rodents in the washroom while the maids went through the monthly laundry. How they managed it I have no idea and I think the stable boy might have been a part of it, but anyway there was quite the ruckus and now the maids don't want to return there until it has been made certain that the rats are all gone. So I sent the hall boys down there to collect them," Catelyn said, shaking her head.

Ned tried to contain the grin he wanted to display, but apparently he was not doing a good job.

"NED! It is not funny. One of the maids even dropped my silver gown into some revolting liquid meant for getting stains out and it ruined it," Catelyn screamed.

"Not the one I like," Ned said in a panic, thinking about the last feast they held a moon after Sansa's birth and how very nice Catelyn's breasts looked in it, almost spilling out do to the milk that had enlarged her already well endowed chest.

Catelyn nodded and Ned growled.

"I'll speak with them." Ned said.

"It's alright. They have already been punished," Catelyn said, getting up. "But I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't grin when Robb tells you of his great deed of collecting rats to attack members of our household."

Ned nodded and put on his most serious face, "I shall contain my glee, my lady. After all, it could have gone far worse."

"Thank you, my lord," she said, leaning over the bed to look at his arm, that had rested beside him during their tumble. "Would you like me to help you?"

"You've already been very helpful," he said, grinning at her, reaching up to push her hair behind her ear.

"Yes, well, unless you are planning to entertain our maid as well, you might want to make yourself presentable again," she said, eyeing his exposed lower half.

Ned said nothing, just pulled his breaches up again, covering his cock, "Better?"

"Much," Catelyn said. "Now you behave and stay in bed. I'll come see later. Do you think you'll be awake for the evening meal? Would you like for me to eat with you?"

"I don't know. I think I might try and sleep some more, after all my beautiful wife has made me quite tired," Ned said, not even minding the hand that stuck his chest. "But you'll come after dinner, yes? I told the boys they could come see me before bed."

"I'll have to see to some things after the meal, but if you are awake I suppose I can come say good night," Catelyn agreed, pressing one last kiss to his lips.

"If it is the kind of good night I'm thinking of, I might even get a good morning as well," Ned said, grabbing onto her arm when it went to strike his shoulder, pulling her onto the bed again, sealing his lips over hers.

"What has gotten into you? Did the Maester give you something strong when he set your arm?" Catelyn asked, giggling against his lips.

"I'm just drunk on you," Ned said before turning serious again. "I truly did miss you, not just the bedding, but waking up beside you and conversing with you."

Catelyn just smiled and with one last kiss she rose and walked away, saying one last goodbye before disappearing to see to their daughter. Ned tried to get comfortable on the mattress, but with her scent on his pillow and an image in his mind, sleep did not come easy and Ned was already impatient for their next meeting.

The End.


End file.
